It's Never Too Late
by emmet849
Summary: Set just after the Soul Society Arc. Renji tries to help Rukia deal with everthing that just happened


_Disclaimer: All Bleach characters, settings, etc. are the property of Tite Kubo and his respective representatives. No copyright infringement is intended and I make no money or profit from this fanfiction._

There she was sitting on the deck of sixth division headquarters waiting for her brother. I couldn't see her face, but I knew she had that distant look in her eyes. The one that tells you she's thinking about something important but that she won't ever tell you what it is. She still hadn't put her shihakusho back on, not even once. I guess it's not a big deal since she's still on leave for another couple of weeks. I wish at the very least she wouldn't look so damn cute in a kimono, not that her uniform doesn't look good too, it's just that…well it's different to see her in something girly, it makes it difficult to remember not to think of her like that.

I just stood watching her for a few seconds. The thing about Rukia is that she keeps acting like nothing happened, like we didn't stop being friends, like I didn't try to kill her, like she wasn't almost executed, like she didn't watch everyone she cared about get cut up trying to save her, like she doesn't blame herself for all that shit. She tries too hard to be strong when anyone can see that she could use a good cry. I want to tell her that my shoulder's here for her to do that on, but I don't because I'm pretty sure she'd beat the shit out of me if I even joked about it. Even though I'd like to be, I'm probably not the right guy for that job anyway.

"Hi Renji," she said without even looking at me.

"Oh, um Rukia, hey," smooth, very smooth "what're you doing here?" Stupid question.

"I was waiting for my brother." I knew that already, but at least asking obvious questions got her to look at me.

I nodded and sat down beside her. "I think he's finishing up now," I added lamely.

Her eyes got distant again. "So, how've you been?" I asked trying to fill the awkward silence. It used to be so easy to talk to her and now it seemed impossible.

"I'm fine."

Throw me a fucking bone here for fuck's sake.

"That's good."

More silence.

I tried again, "Captain says you'll be coming back to active duty in a couple of weeks."

No reply, no reaction.

"I bet it'll be good to get back in the swing of things."

Still nothing, not a damn thing.

I felt useless sitting there. I guess I wasn't very good company, obviously she didn't feel like talking. "Well I guess I'll get going," I mumbled as I started to get up. Her hand shot out and grabbed a hold of my sleeve, gently tugging on it to stop me.

"You don't have to leave," she said pulling her hand back but still avoiding any eye contact, "that is if you don't have anything else to do."

I sat back down trying not to notice that I could feel how cold her hands were even through my clothes. I looked at her from the corners of my eyes, trying not to be obvious about it. She was still pretty thin and pale, but still better than she had been when she first came out of jail, even so, there was still something lifeless about her. The way she sat there and stared at nothing, the way she wasn't even trying to be the Rukia I used to know again, the way things were so damn awkward, all of it was all starting to piss me off.

I bit my tongue to keep from saying something insensitive. I tried to remind myself that she would get better but I could feel my hands start to shake the way they always do when I'm trying to keep calm. I reached into my shirt, grabbed my pack of smokes and quickly lit up. I knew she hated the smell, but I hated how she was acting so I guess we were even, or maybe I did it to piss her off, who knows?

Rukia sighed loudly. I ignored her, payback's a bitch. She coughed, I inhaled deeply. She turned to glare at me, I looked straight ahead trying not to smirk.

"Do you mind?" She grumbled.

"Not really," I replied, blowing out a big puff of smoke just to spite her.

"Put it out Renji," a flat voice somewhere behind us commanded. How the hell does the Captain do that? The guy just comes out of nowhere. Bastard made me drop my lit smoke onto my lap. It almost burned a hole through my clothes before I found it and stomped it out. Hurt like hell.

"Sorry Captain," I hate the way I always get all jumpy when I'm around Captain Kuchiki, like a part of me wants to tear his throat out while the other part wants to be his stupid little lap dog.

He ignored me, of course. "I have business to attend to. You two do what you'd like." He said before turning on his heels and stepping back inside.

That's when it finally happened. Rukia laughed, not just a little chuckle, but a great, big belly laugh like the kind we used to have all the time before we came to the Seireitei.

"You got in trouble!" She teased in between heaves of air.

I could feel my cheeks getting hot. "Shut up."

"Serves you right," she added as she composed herself.

"Bitch," I countered as I nudged her with my arm.

"Dick."

"At least I got you to quit sulking and smile," even if I had to make a jackass of myself to do it.

"I was pretty close to punching you in the head," She admitted pompously.

"Like you could," I teased.

"I could!"

"Pfft, you could, but it wouldn't hurt."

"Why you? I'll show you, I can still kick your ass anytime, anywhere!"

"First of all, bullshit. Second, you never could kick my ass and you especially couldn't do it now that you're all weak and out of practice."

"That's it," she shot out of her seat, grabbed my collar and started dragging me away from the sixth division.

"Hey! Where're we going?" I pretended to be upset and resist, but the truth was I was happy to finally see her being feisty again. Plus my face was almost literally smashed into her neck at this point, and damn did she smell good. Suddenly all kinds of thoughts ran through my mind, the kind I usually save for late at night when I can't sleep. Damn her.

"We're going to my house," she announced as she continued to drag me around like her little bitch, funny how I didn't mind, that is until the commotion started to catch the attention of people around us. I do have a reputation to keep up, I can't let everyone know that if it would make her happy, I'd let her do just about anything she wanted to me.

"What the hell for?" I freed her grip from my shirt, but she just grabbed a hold of my hand and kept going. Not that I was resisting or even really complaining. If she wanted to hold my hand and drag me around…

"I'm going to get my shihakusho and then I'm going to beat the shit out of you."

"Whatever you say, Little Girl," I mocked as I patted her head.

"You just wait. You won't be so arrogant when you're eating dirt," she promised.

A short time later, she was working on making good on her word. I was already sweating bullets as she charged me again, her bokken above her head waiting to crash down on me. I held my stance until the last minute, letting her think she might actually land a hit. As she started to bring her weapon down, I deflected her weapon to the side, stepped past her and prepared to spin into what would be a decapitating blow when she dropped to one knee instead of standing there like she was supposed to.

What happened next was something out of every man's worse nightmare, she rammed the butt of her sword right into my nuts. Believe me when I say that this was no practice shot, she went full force right into my balls. Needless to say I was successfully disarmed and incapacitated. Then, because it wasn't enough that she had tried to assassinate my future offspring, she threw her weapon aside, pivoted in the other direction, grabbed my collar with her right hand, the back of my arm with her left, and threw me over her shoulder. I landed sputtering drool all over myself, suffocating, and in agony.

My eyes were watering and I was pretty sure I was going to puke when she knelt down and put my head in her lap. With soothing fingers, she began stroking my hair and dabbing at my forehead with her handkerchief. I closed my eyes and enjoyed her care as my body slowly began to recover.

"I told you I'd kick your ass, Renji." She whispered as she patted my head.

Why that fucking little bitch! I felt myself snarl low in my throat and bare my teeth at her as I got to my knees and jammed my shoulder into her diaphragm, knocking her to the ground. Now the tables had turned, she was the one trying to catch her breath as I hovered over her. I pinned her arms above her head, straddling her thighs, keeping her tiny body immobilized with my own as I watched her sputter and cough.

"I did try to warn you," she said finally. I suppose this was her version of an apology although the smirk on her face told me that she wasn't sorry at all. Then she started laughing right in my face. Stupid little girl didn't even seem to care that she was completely helpless below me. Still, the more she smiled, the harder I had to try to stay mad.

"You suck." I told her as I released her arms and settled back on my heels. I wasn't quite ready to set her free just yet.

"You had it coming." She argued, her eyes gleaming in the same way they used to before she felt like she had to carry the world around on her shoulders. She looked so beautiful being all cocky and proud of herself. Her cheeks flushed with exertion, her lips pulled back into that stupid grin, it was something I think I could see every day and not mind. I knew if I didn't put some distance between us, I might do something to ruin everything, you know, something like kiss her.

"Shut up." I snarled as I rolled off of her and lay beside her. "If I can't have kids, I'll kill you."

"Don't worry about it. No one would want to have your babies anyway." She retorted elbowing me softly in the ribs.

"Whatever, you just wait. I'll make you eat those words when I'm married to some hot chick who doesn't do anything but think about having my babies."

I watched her roll onto her side to look at me, "Yeah, she'll have to think about it because it won't be possible not that you're all broken."

"I'm not broken and I'm pretty sure I told you to shut up." I was trying really hard to ignore how close her face was to mine; I could almost count the tiny beads of sweat on her forehead. I used my sleeve to wipe them away and let my hand drop to my side.

Her beaming smile receded into a gentle upturning at the corners of her mouth as her gaze softened. I watched her eyes drift from mine to the space between us.

She scooted a bit closer and pushed me onto my back before resting her head on my chest and wrapping an arm around my waist. I hugged her close trying to remember how many decades it had been since we'd held each other. I let my hand run through her damp hair before settling on the back of her neck.

"Renji?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry I hit you in the balls."

I chuckled softly, hugging her tighter, "No you're not."

"I know," her voice sounded like she was smiling as she nuzzled herself into my neck. "I wouldn't have done if you hadn't deserved it."

"Liar."

"I know," she stayed quiet for a few moments before propping herself onto her elbow. I watched wondering what new torture was in store for me after this brief reprieve. I wasn't sure what it would be, but I was pretty sure that it wouldn't be pleasant. Before I quite knew what was going on, though, her lips were touching mine. Sometimes being wrong is awesome.

My palms felt all tingly and I wasn't entirely sure what to do but I took a chance and pulled her in just a little bit closer. I was afraid to do anything more than that. I'm not even sure my brain registered how her lips felt against mine. I remember that it wasn't the rushed peck of some nervous kids, but it also wasn't the sloppy tongue-wrestling match of horny teenagers either. It was somewhere in between that, gentle but insistent. She seemed calm, which was good, because I wasn't and I'm pretty sure that if I had been the one to instigate the whole thing, it wouldn't had been nearly as good as it was. And it was good by the way.

When she finally pulled away, it seemed perfect. She didn't jump up and pretend that nothing had happened, she just looked into my eyes for a little while. Her hand lightly caressed my face and I ran my fingers through her hair.

I took a hold of her hand and pulled us both to our feet before wrapping her in my arms. I was pretty sure that the magic of this moment would be over once we stepped outside of this room, but I hoped that things had improved a bit for her, that maybe if the rift between us was repaired, it would be one less thing weighing her down. Plus it's never a bad thing when you get the girl. Oh and Ichigo? You can suck it.

_::~::_

_A/N: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think if you get a moment. C&C is appreciated. My usual beta had a ton going on in life, so it hasn't been beta'd at all, sorry about that. Thank you again! _


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